Friday, 27 February 2015

Pulman is hoping to accelerate our public awareness by launching its first TV
advertising campaign in 16 years. We have made our TV debut after working with Just Out Marketing to produce a major (and very exciting!) new
campaign.

Just Out, based in
County Durham, has produced a film to promote Pulman’s flourishing showrooms in
Durham and Sunderland.

It follows on from
the viral video Just Out created for our multiple brands recently, which starred
Newcastle United FC players and received almost 100,000 YouTube hits!

Watch the video below:

The latest film,
which will be shown during prime-time TV slots for two weeks beginning 16th February 2015. The advert features all three of our fantastic brands: Volkswagen, SEAT and ŠKODA.

Image: Volkswagen Durham

Julie Stout, director
at Just Out Marketing, said: “Pulman Group wanted us to come up with a TV
advert that would represent its values and outstanding customer experience. We decided
to create a musical identity, using the song ‘That’s Life’, and we think we
have managed to get across the whole experience that Pulman stands for.

“Everyone had
great fun on the project over two days of filming and the actors and members of
the Pulman team featured in the film were all fantastic.

“The important
part of the brief was to make the new TV advert stand out and come up with an
identity for the client. I really hope this has been achieved and Pulman has
every bit of success from the advert.”

Natalie Wilson, our marketing manager at Pulman Group, added: “The response to the last video was absolutely fantastic and there was no question which company we were going to work with on this exciting new project. We’re really happy with the outcome of the TV advert, which represents all the brands but most importantly the Pulman values of delivering a fantastic customer experience.”

Just Out Marketing
specialises in TV, radio and video productions, media buying, website design,
branding and social media marketing for businesses. The film it
produced for Pulman Group in 2013, which featured Newcastle United players
taking on the crossbar challenge, was shown in front of 52,000 fans at St
James’ Park before becoming a viral hit online.

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

The SKODA Superb Estate is an 'unfathomably good combination of space, luxury and value"

8.6

wowscore

This is the average score given by leading car publications from 22 reviews

Fantastic value

Comfortable

Masses of space

The Skoda Superb saloon received many positive reviews, and the same story goes for the more the noticeably more practical Superb Estate.

This version of the Superb has been around since 2008, and an all-new Superb will replace it in the second half of 2015. The new one will more powerful, lighter and quite a lot sharper-looking than this one.

The critics are huge fans of the current car’s cavernous boot and interior, the competitive pricing and its enticing value for money. As an overall package, the Superb Estate is incredibly hard to fault.

Being a Volkswagen Group product, the Superb’s build quality is quite impressive, especially when compared to similarly priced rivals. Some critics thought the design was a tad bland, but all the controls are intuitive and easy to use, and the materials used all look and feel like they belong on a pricier car.

The car’s biggest selling point, though, is the vast size of its interior – there’s plenty of space up front, and there’s plenty of leg and head room.

Back-seat passengers are spoilt like in no other car (apart from perhaps a long-wheelbase Audi A8 or Mercedes S-Class), with acres of legroom and heated seats in the top trim levels. There’s a reason the Czech government uses them to ferry diplomats around, and it’s not entirely because Skoda is a Czech brand!

The boot is also one of the biggest you’ll find on an estate car – at 633 litres (a staggering 1,865 with the rear bench folded down), only the vastly more expensive Mercedes E-Class Estate can claim to be bigger. However, the false floor that removes the lip when you do fold the rears down is an optional extra, and there aren't actually that many storage cubbies up front.

Driving

Given its vast size and mass, the Superb Estate isn't going to win any handling awards. However, it is still a surprisingly good steer for such a large car. The controls are light and easy to use, visibility all round is quite good and there’s a very well balanced and agreeable compromise between ride quality and handling. Noise insulation at speed is also a highlight.

There are a few downsides, though – because it’s quite long, parking manoeuvres can be quite tricky, especially in tighter spaces. However you can order it with self-parking systems and parking sensors to remove some of this stress.

Also, despite being decent to drive by estate car standards, some rivals are a bit more engaging to drive.

Engine

The same engines from the Superb saloon have been carried over to the estate model, so you get a wide range of petrol and diesel power plants to choose from. All were praised by the critics for their impressive refinement, along with some very good economy figures.

There isn't strictly a bad engine in the range, but the mid-spec options are the best bet – the entry level units are a bit under-powered for a car of the Superb’s size, especially once it’s fully loaded, and the mighty 3.6-litre V6 petrol motor is almost certainly going to be a very niche choice!

The new 1.6 TDI Greenline III is one of the most economical estate engines on sale and well worth considering. The petrol 1.4 TSI is a little slow, the 1.8 TSI is a good choice if you don’t cover a lot of miles. The 2.0 TDI 140 is a great all-rounder, with pace and efficiency, the more powerful 2.0 TDI 170 gets fantastic reviews and if you regularly have a car load of people would make a nice buy.

Safety

The Skoda Superb, when tested in 2009 by Euro NCAP, was given a full five-star rating for its crash safety.

The estate version comes with a total of seven airbags (five in case of the ‘S’ version), Isofix mounts for child seats, and driver aids including ABS, stability control, and cruise control. It doesn't have any more modern active crash avoidance technology, however.

Value for money

Diesels are efficient, and hold their value well

It’s by no means the cheapest car on sale, but the Skoda Superb Estate does represent good value on money, especially when regarding the car’s space and practicality. Standard equipment is generous across the range, and it shouldn't cost too much to run thanks to the high mpg and low CO2 emission figures. The Superb Estate is also expected to hold its value fairly well.

It’s worth mentioning that Skoda regularly achieves high ratings in the annual JD Power customer satisfaction survey, so the ownership experience should be quite a pleasant one.

Whilst the standard car has to make do with front wheel drive and a six speed manual, the bigger engines in the range have the option of having a DSG automatic and a four-wheel drive system. The critics were impressed with both of the extras, but it should be noted that the DSG doesn't have any manual override controls on the steering wheel, and the 4×4 tech does worsen fuel economy.

So what do you think?

Overall, it seems that the load lugging version of the Skoda Superb lives up to its name – it’s a brilliant all-round car. There’s tonnes of space on offer, it rides and handles well, the build quality is first rate for this price bracket and all the models are relatively affordable to buy and run.

It’s true that there are some rivals that offer a slightly sharper drive, but judging the car based on its dynamic qualities sort of misses the point – there aren't many cars that can rival the Superb for sheer space, and hardly any at the prices Skoda is asking for it.

It’s a great car that we can easily recommend if you’re on the lookout for an affordable and highly practical estate car.

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Sun FM and Sunny the Seagull has teamed up with Sunderland’s Pulman
SEAT for the 4th year in a row!

Leading car retailer Pulman SEAT are proud to announce the
continued partnership with Sunderland’s number one daytime station, 103.4 Sun FM
for the fourth consecutive year.

The new station car will be used by the lucky Sun FM street
team, who look forward to driving around Sunderland in a brand new SEAT Leon ST
(Sports Tourer).

The Leon ST combines stunning good looks with outstanding
versatility with a cavernous boot, ideal for the radio crew’s sound equipment,
as well as state-of-the-art satellite navigation, guiding them across
Sunderland’s fantastic city.

Chris Slater, Site Manager at Pulman SEAT: “It’s fantastic
to continue the partnership with ourselves and Sun FM. This is the fourth SEAT
we have provided to be part of the Sun FM team. The Leon ST was chosen again
for the second year in a row by Sun FM as it’s the perfect match. A car that is
big enough to support their fantastic street team.”

103.4 Sun FM are Sunderland’s number one daytime station and
when looking for a station car, they looked no further than Sunderland
fantastic SEAT retailer Pulman.

Julian Carter, Managing Director of 103.4 Sun FM, said: ‘’We
have once again chosen to build our relationship with Pulman SEAT as we are
both local businesses that serve Sunderland/Wearside. We have a fantastic car
in the SEAT Leon ST, and it makes us look great. We chose Pulman SEAT as they
really deliver on their company goal of delivering a fantastic customer
experience.’’

Pulman SEAT, based in Burntland Avenue, Southwick,
Sunderland, have been trading for three-and-a-half years, transforming the
showroom and are renowned for delivering a fantastic customer experience.
Offering fantastic hospitality with complimentary refreshments and free WiFi.

To view our New and Used car stock at Pulman SEAT pop into our showroom located on:

Thursday, 19 February 2015

From 8 June 2015, the photocard licence counterpart will not be valid and will no longer be issued by DVLA.

What this means for you

Photocard driving licence holders

When DVLA stops issuing the counterpart, you should destroy yours but you still need to keep your current photocard driving licence.

Paper driving licence holders (those issued before 1998)

These will remain valid, and should not be destroyed.
The next time you need to update your name, address or renew your licence, you will be issued with a photocard only.

Penalty points

From 8 June 2015 penalty points will no longer be shown on driving licences. This information will be held on DVLA’s driver record, and can be checked online, by phone or by post.

Organisations and businesses that check the driving licence counterpart

DVLA is developing new digital enquiry services for launch later this year that will allow organisations and businesses (such as employers and car hire companies) to view information they can currently see on the driving licence counterpart.

These new services will be offered in addition to the existing services, but are designed for those who have a business need for real-time access to the information.

Driving licence information via these services will only be made available to those who have a right to see it, and with the knowledge of the driving licence holder.

Why is the counterpart being abolished?

The decision to abolish the counterpart was as a result of the government’s Red Tape Challenge consultation on road transportation. It also aligns to DVLA's Strategic Plan which includes commitment to simplifying services.

Wednesday, 18 February 2015

First pictures reveal a sleek, sharp body with the latest technologies and advanced enginesThe new Superb was unveiled to the world’s press in Prague last night by ŠKODA CEO Dr Winfried Vahland and Jozef Kabaň, Head of ŠKODA Design (pictured below). The new car is longer and wider than its predecessor, has a larger boot and has more passenger space, yet it is up to 75kg lighter because of weight-saving measures made available by its advanced MQB platform.

Every model in the range will be EU6 emissions compliant and include ŠKODA’s engine stop/start system. The UK line-up is set to include:• 1.4 150PS petrol with fuel-saving cylinder deactivation• 2.0 280PS petrol linked to a sophisticated four-wheel drive system and six-speed direct shift gearbox (DSG)• 1.6 TDI 120PS with six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG• 2.0 TDI 150PS with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed DSG, and optionally four-wheel drive• 2.0 TDI 190PS with a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed DSG, and optionally four-wheel drive• Super-efficient GreenLine models will join the line-up at a later date

Luxury options include 4G connectivity along with switchable dynamic chassis control (DCC), and typically ŠKODA touches include an umbrella in each of the front doors and a removable torch in the boot.

The new Superb makes its full public debut at this year’s Geneva motor show. An estate version will follow later in 2015.

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

SEAT launches its fastest-ever production car

SEAT is all set to stir up the hot hatch brigade once again with the launch of a new ‘Ultimate Sub8 Performance Pack’ for the Leon SC CUPRA 280. Mirroring the exact specification of its creation, which became the first front-wheel-drive production car to dip under the magic eight-minute Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time (click to view lap), the pack is set to cost £4,200.

A Leon SC CUPRA 280 fitted with the Ultimate Sub8 Performance Pack is no impractical trackday toy. It’s every inch a proper hot hatch, just with an even more focused nature than the multi-award-winning Leon on which it’s based. It’s even got rear seats and a radio, DAB at that. Nevertheless, it’ll still make a simple trundle to the shops an occasion and not a chore, and garner plenty of attention along the way. Plus, given the fact that each car will be built to order, its exclusivity is assured.

Price

Specifying the Ultimate Sub8 Performance Pack on a Leon SC CUPRA 280, costing £27,210 in manual guise, brings the price to £31,410. That’s a sizeable £5,020 less than its closest direct rival: the two-seater Mégane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R at £36,430. Or, closer to £7,000 by the time the latter’s Performance Brake pack, electric door mirrors and satellite navigation extras are thrown into the equation*.

What you get

Courtesy of some weight reduction trickery, the comprehensive pack swaps climate control for a simpler heating system, while even four of the CUPRA’s usual eight speakers have been ditched in the dieting process. The weight loss programme has also seen the Leon CUPRA 280 slimmed down through the loss of the centre console armrest and rear air vents, while even the storage boxes under the front seat have been binned.

The rest of the pack is as per the standard Sub8 Performance Pack, which means lightweight multi-spoke 19-inch alloys in black or orange, 30mm larger brakes with Brembo callipers and body-coloured side skirts. Semi-slick Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres can be included too for £460.
Keeping it extremely simple for customers, there’s the usual choice of six-speed manual or slick-shifting DSG transmission, but, in keeping with its stripped back approach, no options.

As well as a supreme driving experience, it also retains another CUPRA hallmark, its high-end equipment features. Among them are DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) and CUPRA Drive Profile, providing the choice of Normal, Sport, CUPRA and Individual settings, to adjust the suspension, throttle sensitivity, gearbox and engine note, according to the whim of the driver’s mood. There’s also cruise control, rear parking sensors, touchscreen satellite navigation and tyre pressure monitor.
The Ultimate Sub8 Performance Pack can be specified now with all new Leon SC CUPRA 280 orders.